GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida will house a newly organized international research center for the study of the human pancreas that will bank organs from thousands of patients with or at risk for type 1 diabetes in an effort to learn more about the disease.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A new Florida Museum of Natural History study shows ancient Maya political elites likely crafted their own bone and shell products for domestic use, which counters previously held beliefs that the group depended on domestic servants or lower classes for everyday household items such as sewing pins, spatulas and shell bowls.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The latest round of bad news in the housing market dealt a blow to consumer confidence in August, causing a three-point drop to 78, its lowest level in a year, a new University of Florida study finds.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — As the University of Florida Gators begin their pursuit of another Southeastern Conference and National Championship title, fans can tune in WUFT-TV/DT for a look at the 2007 football season.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida Tourism Crisis Recovery Institute, a new on-campus institute housed in the College of Health and Human Performance, has hired a well-known figure in the tourism industry to serve as director of strategic operations.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Because leadership development is essential to the effective management of a university, Human Resource Services at the University of Florida has launched two new leadership programs: The UF Academy and Next Level Leadership.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Museum of Natural History’s ButterflyFest Oct. 13-14 will feature several nationally well-known musicians as well as a variety of performances from area community groups.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida College of Pharmacy is one of eight schools to receive the first national recognition for exemplary partnerships that foster quality experiential education and patient care teaching environments for pharmacy students.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In its 20-year history, Parsons Dance has earned a reputation as one of the premiere dance troupes in the world. David Parsons started the company that bears his name in 1987, after spending nearly a decade as a principal dancer with the Paul Taylor Dance Company.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Reduce, recycle and rebuild is as important to the most basic component of the human body, the cell, as it is to the environment. And a University of Florida study shows just how much the body benefits when it “goes green,” at least if you’re a rat: Cutting calories helps rodents live longer by boosting cells’ ability to recycle damaged parts so they can maintain efficient energy production.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A University of Florida pharmacy researcher and educator has received national recognition for her contributions to contemporary teaching and scholarship in biotechnology. Julie A. Johnson received the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy’s prestigious Paul R. Dawson Biotechnology Award at its recent annual meeting in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The fate of a proposed property tax amendment that would affect the existing Save Our Homes amendment in a January statewide referendum is too close to call, a new University of Florida survey finds.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It is a familiar source of frustration for anyone who has studied in a university or community college: you desperately need a specific course, but the class is full by the time you get to register.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida College of Nursing assistant professor Jeanne Marie Stacciarini has received a $202,113 supplementary grant from the National Institutes of Health to study depression in Latinas and promote diversity in health-related research.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Most modern attempts to decipher how portions of genetic code are translated into physical characteristics are akin to a first-grader trying to sound out a word letter by letter — or, in this case, base pair by base pair.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Most modern attempts to decipher how portions of genetic code are translated into physical characteristics are akin to a first-grader trying to sound out a word letter by letter — or, in this case, base pair by base pair.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Elena Kurenova, a research assistant professor in the department of surgery at the University of Florida College of Medicine, was selected as one of 10 finalists in Southeast BIO’s first annual BIO/Plan Competition.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Mention sturgeon to a Floridian these days, and they might flinch. The armor-plated fish have made news this summer by body-checking boaters, but the animals might soon develop a new reputation — as cash cows.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida Athletic Association is donating $6 million to the university to support several academic programs threatened by state budget cuts, UF President Bernie Machen announced today.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Homerus swallowtail is the Western Hemisphere’s largest butterfly, but University of Florida researchers say its numbers are so small that conservation and captive breeding efforts are needed to save the insect, found only in two parts of Jamaica.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A parent's struggle with stress or depression can lower a child's quality of life — and it could hinder an overweight youngster's attempts to lose weight, too, University of Florida researchers say.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Gene doping has the potential to spawn athletes capable of out-running, out-jumping and out-cycling the strongest of champions. But research under way at the University of Florida could help level the playing field by detecting the first cases of gene doping in professional athletes before the practice enters the mainstream.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Renovations will soon begin on the first floor of the Reitz Student Union that will result in expanded open lounge space for students, additions to administrative space, new restrooms, and new finishes and furnishings throughout the first-floor lobby.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida College of Medicine has named Mavis Agbandje-McKenna, an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, the new director of the Center for Structural Biology.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The age-old debate of nature versus nurture has a new twist: Scientists say the two N’s may be so entwined that their influence on our genes combines to shape our health and development in ways we never imagined.

Toxicologist Bruce Goldberger was quoted in an Aug. 3 Los Angeles Times story about the use of science experts by defense attorneys for music producer Phil Spector, charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of an actress.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Harn Museum of Art will host Family Day from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 18. Visitors of all ages will explore diverse printing techniques during “Off the Press: Printmaking for Everyone.”

I am writing to announce the creation of a committee to help identify ways to trim costs and operate more efficiently in an extremely tight budget year and into the future amid predictions of a worsening economy.

Hyun Jung Yun, the first person to graduate from UF with two doctoral degrees at the same time, was the subject of a feature story in the Aug. 10 St. Petersburg Times. The story was the result of a UF News Bureau referral.

Forrest Masters, an assistant professor of civil and coastal engineering, was the source of an Aug. 13 Associated Press story about a hurricane-wind simulator that is being used to find weaknesses in building structures.
The story was the result of a news release.

Jerry Butler, a professor emeritus and entomologist, was quoted in an Aug. 13 Associated Press national wire story about the reported incidents of West Nile virus infections that usually start in August.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — When the first four-legged animals sprouted fingers and toes, they took an ancient genetic recipe and simply extended the cooking time, say University of Florida scientists writing in Wednesday’s issue of the journal PLoS ONE.

The University Athletic Association’s donation of $6 million for scholarships to UF students who are the first in their families to attend college was the subject of an Aug. 16 story in The Miami Herald and the Associated Press national wire. The story was the result of a news release .

Developmental biologist Martin Cohn was quoted in an Aug. 16 story on National Geographic.com about a new study that found the genetic process for developing fingers and toes might have existed in sharks 500 million years ago. The research also was the subject of an Aug. 16 story on the United Press International wire. The stories were the result of a news release.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The UF Genetics Institute invites all faculty, graduate students and research associates to submit abstracts of their latest genetics research for poster sessions at Florida Genetics 2007, a symposium scheduled for Nov. 7-8 at the UF Cancer & Genetics Research Complex.

The start of the school year is always as exciting as it is hectic. I hope all students, faculty and staff were able to take some time off during the summer, and that you are refreshed, reenergized and ready to make the most of the months ahead.